David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is clear to everybody except Fine Gael that this communications unit is a busted flush. It needs to be disbanded. I hope this motion will be supported by the entire Opposition. That would be a very clear signal from the Opposition that this unit has to go. It is nothing more than a highly expensive public relations, PR, unit for the Taoiseach and Fine Gael at the expense of the taxpayer. It was the brainchild of the Taoiseach and he has to bear responsibility for clear mistakes that were made in the establishment and operation of this communications unit. It is completely unacceptable, which is the reason Sinn Féin has tabled this motion for the unit to be disbanded.

The motion also calls on the Taoiseach and senior civil servants to appear before the Committee of Public Accounts. While Deputies can and do make political charges in the House in respect of the use of taxpayers' money by the strategic communications unit, the Committee of Public Accounts is available to examine how taxpayers' money is spent, consider processes and procedures and ascertain whether the logic for establishing the unit which we were told was to save money has been followed. Serious questions have been asked in the media, the Oireachtas and beyond about the operation of the unit which has come under intense scrutiny.

The response from the Taoiseach and the Government in general to genuine and serious questions about the strategic communications unit has been entirely disingenuous. The Government argues that there are more important issues and dismisses concerns in a flippant manner. Of course, housing, health and other issues are important. Sinn Féin has tabled dozens of motions asking the Government to do the right thing on health and housing, build the homes needed and implement our policy proposals, but it has failed to do so. The House will deal with all of these issues again, but none of that excuses the blatant misuse of taxpayers' money by the strategic communications unit.

We need to hear from all of the senior civil servants with responsibility for the strategic communications unit. Mr. Martin Fraser, head of the civil and public service, should appear before the Committee of Public Accounts, as should Mr. Robert Watt, Secretary General of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, and Mr. John Concannon, head of the strategic communications unit. They will have to answer questions about their role as civil servants. The Taoiseach and others in political life also have questions to answer.

I do not believe the strategic communications unit will survive. Window dressing will not cut it either because the review will not be worth the paper on which it is written as it will be riddled with conflicts of interest. That the people undertaking the review are the very ones who have questions to answer is not an acceptable solution. For Sinn Séin, the only acceptable solution is the disbandment of the unit in order that taxpayers' money is not used to promote the activities of one political party, even if it is in government. All political parties are funded by the State and receive taxpayers' money, which creates a level and fair playing field. Taxpayers' money must not be abused by a specialised communications unit established by a Government to promote political parties as opposed to the work of the civil and public service and the Government. It is for this reason that Sinn Féin tabled the motion.

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